Fox Rain
by Vesperis
Summary: How far will you go to obtain your goal? Will you lie, act, and cheat? And in the end, will it be worth it? A tale of Lis, a blood elf on a mission. Originally from the webcomic Fox Rain.
1. Chapter 1

_My first fanfiction - a story based on World of Warcraft, after Burning Crusade. This story is from my web comics I do for Wowinsider. If you're interested in the comic version, let me know! Hope you enjoy it!_

The small, dark town of Darkshire, once known as Grand Hamlet have been long forgotten by Stormwind, and is left alone to battle the undead, worgen and other monstrosities. Our plight draws in travelers from all races and experience, those who seek gold, who seek fame and those who… just cause nothing but trouble.

An explosion burst through the wall, creating a gaping hole in the small house that was rented by an elf, who came to the town a month ago. Thick, black smoke poured out into the sky, causing the guards and townsfolk to gather, their expression amused rather than worried.

A figure gripped the broken wall and staggered out, coughing. Her blood red robe that fit her slender body was covered in soot, and her fire red hair was a fine mess. She coughed again and looked up, sensing the gaze of the townsfolk on her.

"Ehehe… I thought I had it this time." She smiled apologetically, "Sorry…?"

While many laughed in amusement, the guards weren't too happy with her. It was true she brightened up the place in many ways, but she did cause a lot of damage to the buildings.

"Lis! I told you to keep your experiments to the minimum!" The captain of the guard, Gareth yelled, his hands firmly on his hips, towering over the small, nervous elf.

"I'm sorry sir! I thought it'd be a good idea to try putting this goblin powder into the lamp and…"

"What did we say about using things related to goblins?" He yelled.

"Not… to do it?" She squeaked, looking up pitifully with her green eye. Her right side of her face was always covered by her red hair, and whenever asked about it, especially by the children she played with, she told them she had a scar there. From the amount of crazy experiments she did in the short time she stayed in Darkshire, no one was surprised.

"And…? How are you going to fix this?" Perhaps the first few times, the middle aged captain would sigh and let the pretty, sweet natured elf off the hook, but when the number becomes close to three digits, that's when you draw the line.

"Um… I haven't gotten paid from Stormwind yet… Can I just… patch it up?" She asked sweetly.

Gareth sighed heavily.

Lis was sent by a small government department in Stormwind to check the lamps on the paths, guiding travelers. They would send a mage once a year, to take down lamps that were put out, destroyed, or to create new lamps on new paths. This time, they were surprised it was an elf, since so few elves remained behind the Alliance when rest of their kind left to join the Horde. But she quickly made herself at home, befriending many despite initial suspicion. Her kind, bubbly personality earned her a place in Darkshire townspeople's hearts, and she sure was popular with the children.

"LIS!" A child screamed and flung himself at Lis, closely chased by other children.

"Play with us!" They chanted, chiming in.

"I have to fix the house!" She growled the children as she caught the first boy, holding him closely to her.

"Did you do your chores?" She asked patting another on the head.

Gareth groaned. It looked like his lecture was over.

"I'll talk to the smith to let you have some materials for the wall. This better be fixed by tomorrow!" He sternly warned.

"Aw, uncle Gareth is such a sweet man!" Lis smile happily. "What is uncle Gareth?" She asked the children

"Sweetest fuzzy bear in all of Azeroth!" The children yelled in unison. So this was what she had been teaching them.

With a twitch, Gareth's hand slid to his sword on his belt. He was going to kill this elf today. This was the last straw.

"Sweetest fuzzy bear was it?" Gina, Gareth's wife chuckled as she came closer. She picked up one of the children in her arms and smiled sweetly.

"Afternoon miss Gina." Lis smiled.

"I have something to talk to Lis with, so can I steal her for a little?" She asked the children, who booed and stuck to Lis's robes.

"But she was busy fixing the cowshed yesterday! We didn't get to play with her yesterday!" One of the girls gripped her arm tighter.

"She is going to teach us alchemy today!" Another pouted.

"Come on you brats, or I'll throw all of you in jail." Gareth plucked the child off Lis and ushered them away.

"Gareth smells!" One of the children grumbled loudly as he left the two women alone.

"The children seem to love you too much Lis." Gina giggled, watching the children complaining to her husband.

Lis smiled.

Gina wringed her hands before deciding to speak.

"I have a favor to ask Lis. It might be a little dangerous, but will you listen?" She asked, nervous.

Lis tilted her head, puzzled.

"I know you don't fight, but that's one of the reason why I want to ask you this favor."

"What is it?"

"When you are checking the lamps today, could you shut off the ones leading to the Rotting Orchid…?"

It was a strange request. Sure, the Rotting Orchid was a dangerous place, but by shutting off the lamps, it would be harder to find. Travelers often visited the Rotting Orchid to fend off the Worgens.

"It's just that it's particularly dangerous right now, and we don't' want outsiders to go and provoke the things there. They don't think about what happens to the people left behind…" Gina, quickly reading Lis's puzzled expression. "Each worgen they kill, the angrier they get and assault the town. I think we should leave them alone." She sighed.

"Alright." Lis smiled. "I understand,"

Seeing Lis's sweet smile, Gina felt relieved.

"Thanks Lis." She returned the sweet smile.

Gina left upon being called, leaving the task in Lis's hands.

Lis leant against a wall, near the alleyway and folded her arms.

"Hide the Rotting Orchid…" She muttered.

Her sweet smile curled to a wicked grin.

"Wonder what they are trying to hide there?"

"Things are finally getting interesting huh Biryuk?" She said to the shadows in the alleyway.

In the dark alleyway, pair of golden eyes lit up.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for reading Fox Rain. Due to copyright agreements, I can only put up the parts that are already published in the webcomic, Fox Rain, so I apologize for the late updates. It would be lovely to see what you guys think about this story, and how I could improve my writing! _

The Rotting Orchard was once a beautiful place, filled with mouth watering fruits beckoning those under its lush trees. Now, as the name implied, trees twisted and deformed into snarling, unnatural beings and an eerie fog suffocated any life around it. It was a perfect place for monsters to gather, howling into the silent moon. Many guards and travelers came here, in hopes of defeating the monsters and claiming a little part of their land back from the darkness, but it was never easy. Each one that fell, more came to take its place, to a point they had no choice but to send a lone elf to cover up the path leading to it.

Hulking figures roamed in this forsaken place, and their snarls and howls warned those unfortunate, that they were waiting, watching and hunting. Worgens had recently received guests from Darkshire, those who sought to end their terrible reign over the forest. Needless to say, they were no more. Fell under the cruel and powerful claws of the savages with a twisted grin. One was alive. The faint smell of hope mixed with fear filled the alpha's nose and made his mouth water. It wasn't hunger that made his ears prick up and eyes sharp, it was the sheer thrill of tearing him apart.

The worgen easily picked up the collapsed human, barely clinging onto life. The worgen's claw was raised to shred him, when another scent filled the air, making the other worgens look up in anticipation.

Their terrible gold eyes focused on the figure. It was a female elf. From the smell of fel energy around her, she was a blood elf. Strange: There was no trace of fear.

She stepped closer, her green eyes settling on the worgens looking at her. Lis looked at the human caught in the worgen's grip like a lifeless doll. From the smell of carnage around her, she could guess there were no other survivors.

She pointed at the human.

"Get your filthy paws off my potential research victim!" She shouted in a stern voice. "He's mine." She smiled wickedly, showing her perfect teeth.

In response, the worgens snarled at her, ready to tear her apart.

"Oh, I won't be playing with you." Lis put her delicate hands on her chest and smiled. "I hate fighting." She battered her eyelashes, pouting.

"But, Biryuk will be more than happy to."

From the shadows, a figure swiftly came to her side. He was covered in thick black fur as his cape, and his feral golden eyes shone in the darkness.

"Go." Lis swung her hand down, smiling.

The figure beside her disappeared.

He moved at an inhuman speed. It was faster than the worgens themselves. On his hands, he wore a sharp gauntlet, used to shred the Worgens into pieces. His face held no expression as he weaved through the Worgens, who did their best to keep up with his speed, but howled in pain as the figure sliced a good chunk out of them. Only his golden eyes shone as the Worgens fell one by one.

Lis was leaning against the twisted tree, watching. She was used to Biryuk fighting, but the speed and strength compared to the worgens was frightening. She conjured her notebook and started to take notes on their comparison. Maybe their mission was going to be a lot harder than she first anticipated. She looked at the lone surviving human on the ground. He didn't look like he was going to make it. She was no healer, and she couldn't risk the townspeople discovering her true purpose. She rolled her eyes. She knew Biryuk would growl her for thinking so callously. Maybe she should at least pretend to help him, and if he dies, there was no skin off her nose… Her eyes focused on his hand. Did he just move…?

Biryuk could sense their fear. The smell of sweat and blood, mingled with that sweet scent of fear. Realizing his feral nature, he frowned. It was hard not to embrace his other self as he desperately clung to the last of his humanity. He grabbed the head of the worgen easily with his hand and sliced his stomach with his other claws. Immediately, another lunged at him. Biryuk easily avoided the worgen's mad attempt at his face, and did away with him when he felt someone behind him.

That human.

The human's eyes were golden, his face distorted with hatred and rage. His face turned that of a wolf and it immediately lunged at Biryuk's back, and Biryuk was prepared for the pain, but all he felt was a rude shove.

He turned his head to see Lis. Specifically, her arm.

With her staff firmly in hand, she had blocked the half wolf, half man's jaws with her arm. His mouth was firmly lodged on her bent arms, blood soaking her tidy robe.

"Lis…!" Biryuk's voice shook, his eyes wide with shock, as her arm looked like it was about to be torn off.

"Stupid mutt…" She gritted her teeth, her face twisted in pain.

"Think you can touch Biryuk?" Her other hand conjured fire.

Before Lis could do anything, Biryuk impaled the human through the stomach. He grabbed the jaws that tightly clasped around Lis's thin arm and threw the man into the tree, causing the tree to fall with a deafening crack.

Lis slumped down on the ground, gripping her arm.

"Lis." Biryuk knelt down beside her, full of worry. He didn't know anything about healing others. He carefully touched her arm, peeling her blood soaked sleeve off. There was so much blood. He felt his emotions overwhelming him. He could feel his breath picking up speed. A firm hand grabbed his chin.

Lis held his chin with her other hand and forced him to look at her eyes.

"Biryuk."

He froze under that gaze.

"Don't forget what our goal is." She said slowly. "Focus. You know what we need to do now." She said, gritting her teeth to hold back the pain.

Her steady voice, her determined green eyes brought Biryuk back from the haze of panic. With a quick glance at her arm, he nodded. It angered him that he let Lis get hurt. He stood up slowly, turning around to the few left behind. Shadows curled from his shadows, swirling around him.

It angered him that Lis was pretending she was fine.

It angered him that she was hurt because of him.

He wanted to make sure they suffered, but getting Lis to a healer was the first thing. It had to be quick. His golden eyes became brighter. His teeth became sharper. The shadows around him grew larger and swirled ominously around him.

He would finish this quickly.

Lis grimaced. The pain was unbearable. But now was not the time to whine and be weak. She conjured her research kit and took a handful of vials. Blood splattered onto her robes and she briefly wondered if she could use her arm again. Not that she minded; but doing research would be awfully inconvenient without two hands. She rummaged behind her rucksack tied loosely around her waist and pulled out a long bandage. She could treat it later. She just needed it to stop the bleeding, incase she contaminated her research with her own blood. She ripped her sleeves away, wincing at the sudden rush of cold air, and carelessly tied the bandage down her arm, pouring the medicinal potion down her arm. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she kept her pain in check, and stood up and walked towards the man that turned into a worgen.

She felt annoyed that Biryuk was angry enough to kill the research subject she needed, but what annoyed her more was the fact he got angry. She knelt beside the crushed body and checked the body.

She did not deserve Biryuk's anger or concern.

"We need to get you to a healer." Was the first thing Biryuk said when he ran over to her.

Lis ignored him and scribbled on her notes her findings.

"Doesn't it hurt?" He sighed.

"It freaking hurts." She replied, not looking at him. She was too interested in her subject's eyes. It was golden, just like every other worgens, just like Biryuk.

"Let's just go. We can come back later." He knew how much Lis worked to finally find someone who turned into a worgen. That's why she pretended to be a sweet, innocent girl to snoop around the town, learning where the recent battle was, where the next patrol was, and when it was going to occur.

"You did a very shoddy job with your arm."

Lis glared at him. Biryuk raised his hands in the air, admitting defeat. He sat down beside her with a sigh.

She worked quickly, collecting samples and her face didn't change as she worked with a corpse, something that would make many turn green at the thought.

"There may be other survivors." Biryuk commented.

"Mmhm." Lis replied uninterested.

"We could be helping them."

Lis sighed. "Would you stop worrying about others? We have plenty to worry about ourselves. If they somehow survived, they would have already turned into Worgen, there's nothing we can do for them." She snapped but stopped when she saw his hurt look.

"But Lis." He smiled bitterly. "I am the same as them."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dropping his head, Biryuk lowered his eyes and turned away from Lis.

"Sooner or later, I would turn into a mindless-"

_Smash!_

Biryuk turned around angrily, sharp pain to the back of his head and warm trickle of blood down his face as Lis glared up at him with another bottle to throw at his head.

"Turn into a monster you say?" She said coldly.

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

She smiled as she dusted herself off the ground.

"You're talking about your beautiful, genius friend here Biryuk. There is no way I would let my precious friend turn into a monster."

She stood tall, filled with confidence.

The back of his head hurt and he dusted the glass shards off his mantle, but he couldn't help but feel assured by her. Arrogant was the word he often muttered under his breath about Lis, but it wasn't without reason. If not cunning, she picked up things quickly. She learnt about the situation wherever they went, knew what to say to certain people, and she seemed to possess endless knowledge and wit.

A rustle in the bush made the two turn sharply at the noise. Were there any other Worgens?

Biryuk knelt down, silently picked up a pebble and flicked it towards the noise. A loud yelp escaped the bushes and using this chance, Biryuk pounced over and pinned a small boy by the neck, onto the ground.

The boy, no more than 15, looked up in fear, tears welling in his eyes.

"Please don't kill me!" He wailed, too afraid to struggle.

Lis stepped over and peered at the boy.

"Survivor?" She scanned him head to toe, placing her finger on her chin.

Before Biryuk or the boy could answer, Lis's face lit up in anticipation.

"Infected?" asked Lis filled with hope.

"No. And even if he is, you should not think of experimenting on a child, you heartless shrew."

"Damn!"

Defeated, Lis knelt down before the boy.

"Hey, I know you, you're Serena's boy. Damien right?"

The boy's eyes focused on Lis and looked more frightened.

"Yup he recognizes me. Alright brat, what are you doing here."

The boy opened his mouth to speak.

Lis smiled sweetly.

"And if I think you're lying, we get to gut ya." She said, dripping with sweetness.

The boy's complexion turned pale and he stammered few words. He couldn't believe it was that Clumsy Lis. The girl who walked into doors, tripped on air and fell for every prank the children thought of. The girl who shrieked and shook in terror when she saw a critter scuttling past. Here she was, wrapped in blood and playing with corpses.

"I… I heard there was going to be an attack on the wolf men…!" He said bravely. That clumsy Lis was going to kill him if he didn't say the truth.

"So… I thought I could he-help." He swallowed a large lump down his throat.

"Idiot." Lis said mercilessly. "Well Bi, I leave him in your care. I have more samples I want to collect." With that, Lis walked over to her corpse and sat down with her trinkets.

Biryuk slowly released the boy, but didn't lift his piercing golden eyes off him.

"So… You… You're Clum… I mean Lis's… friend…?" The boy quickly scrambled up and fled few steps away from Biryuk.

"Correct." Biryuk stood up too, towering over the boy.

The boy looked nervously at this figure, smeared with blood and who somehow, smelt of death. He wasn't stupid to try and run for it, but he wasn't smart enough to figure out what to do next.

"It's still dangerous in these forests boy. I suggest you stay with us so we can escort you home. Or, if you wish to take your chances, I won't stop you." Biryuk said and turned to Lis, cut a tree down to create a seat for him.

The boy gaped at the two, now fighting over the poor dead tree, and looked at the path he came from. When he learnt of the fight, his blood was pumped for excitement. He was going to prove to his mother and the townspeople that he was not a child, he was strong to protect everyone. He was top of his class at swords, he was the strongest. There was no reason for them to hold him back from joining the guards. Despite his mother's concern, he snuck out from the town, ran as fast as he could, playing the scene where he would return home a hero over and over again.

However when he got to the fight, it wasn't what he dreamt of. It was a nightmare. The guards managed to strike some down, but the wolf men moved so quickly, and didn't seem to be fazed by swords or magic. They simply stumbled back and snarled with their terrible roars and threw the guards into the trees like a doll.

It wasn't glorious, it wasn't an epic battle, it was slaughter. Dropping the sword he proudly swung around back at town, he fled, ran and hid, cursing his body for shaking so much. He shut his eyes and prayed it will be over, that he wouldn't have to hear their screams.

And in few minutes, that man, clad in black fur destroyed them all.

"So you decided to join us?" Lis asked without looking up. She scraped the dead guard's tongue with a swab and put it in one of her test tubes.

All the boy could do was nod.

Biryuk stood up and unclipped his fur cape and wrapped it around the boy before he could object. The boy looked up in surprise and was about to refuse, when he noticed his shaking finally stopped.

"Th-thank you." He stammered.

"Sit." Biryuk pointed at the stump, which Lis muttered "Tree-killer" under her breath.

Not wanting to seem rude, the boy did what he was told and sat on the large stump. Biryuk sat on the other edge, silent.

"So, Damien." Lis said, pouring a liquid from one test tube to another. "You breathe a word about this to town, and I'll turn you into a slug."

"Ye-Yes!" He felt panic rising in his again.

"So… why are you here then? Why are you pretending to be a clumsy, silly person?" Damien asked, hoping she would turn around and hurt him.

"Because she's looking for a cure." Biryuk spoke up. Lis muttered something angrily under her breath again.

"A cure?"

"She's is foolishly doing everything for my sake."

"Hey, I'm right here, I can hear you." Lis complained.

"Are you sick sir?"

Upon closer inspection, Biryuk did look sick.

"I am cursed."

Damien looked confused at Biryuk.

"You have seen what I can do, that is my curse."

"You mean, those moves, how you moved so quickly, how you killed those wolf man… that's a curse?"

"Yes. Curse means you have to pay something dear for it."

"How is that a curse?" Damien forgot about his fears, he was incredulous. If he could have the strength like Biryuk, he would give anything.

"You must pay a horrible price." Biryuk smiled bitterly.

"For your strength, I will pay anything!"

Damien did not notice that Lis's hands stopped moving.

"You say that because you don't understand." Biryuk said calmly.

"If it was me sir, I would be able to handle it! I can do it! How did you get your curse sir? Could you teach me? I swear I won't regret it, and I'll give anything!"

"Memories." Biryuk said silently. "You pay with memories."

Damien fell silent, trying to understand.

"Memories are what makes you. If you have no memories, you won't recognize who is your friend or foe, you won't recognize who you are. You will become a mindless monster, just like these Worgens."

"That's it?"

Lis was standing over Damien. With fury in her eyes, she immediately lifted her hand in the air and was about to strike his face. Biryuk caught her hand.

"It's okay Lis." He smiled gently.

Lis's gritted teeth and her anger faded slightly.

"But, Biryuk." She said sadly.

"It's alright. I have you. So it's alright."

Lis sighed and dropped her hands. Without a look, she sat back down.

Damien fell silent and glanced over at Biryuk.

"I… I'm sorry." He muttered. "I don't…"

Biryuk smiled. "Power isn't everything. Power means nothing if you don't have a purpose for it."


End file.
